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Saturday, September 10, 2011

The traditional games of Onam festival- KutuKutu

The traditional games of Onam festival include Kayyankali, Attakalam, Kutukutu, Ambeyyal and Talappanthukali. All these games are played only by men as most of them involve fierce fighting which needs a lot of physical strength and stamina. Ambeyyal is a game of shooting whereas Kayyankali and Attakalam are combat games which are very violent in nature. Talappanthukali is a ball game whereas Kutukutu is a Kerala version of the game of Kabaddi.

KutuKutu
Kutukutu is a popular and entertaing game played during the festival of Onam. It is a fun game and very much like the popular game of Kabaddi played in several parts of India. Though simple in nature, the game is an extremely challenging one as it tests strength, speed, tact and the power of lungs of a player.
To play the game, the court is divided into two equal halves by drawing a line in the middle. Players are also divided into two teams and are placed on either side of the line.
The game begins as a player from one team crosses the dividing line and enters the area of the opposite team. This player has to keep saying 'Kutu Kutu' aloud and clear in one continuous breath and at the same time try to touch a player of the opponent team. The challenging player or raider has to be smart enough to return to the central line without getting caught.
If the challenging player gets caught by the players of the opposite team and is out of breath before being able to touch the central line, he is out of the game. The game continues in a similar fashion with other players of the same team. When all players exhaust their chance, the game enters its second half and opposite team sends its players one by one.
Kutukutu is very much popular in Kerala and witnesses an enthusiastic participation of both players and onlookers.

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